Systemic Oppression and Depression in Black Women: A Study and Pastoral Way Forward

A powerful new study provides a Womanist theological framework to understand high levels of depression in Black women.

In a remarkable and poignant series of case studies, clinical social worker and ordained minister Rochelle Johnson provides a cogent study of the causes and effects of depression in Black woman in contemporary America. 

Inspired by Womanist theology and the insights of the pioneering psychoanalytic theories of Heinz Kohut, she shows how societal and historical barriers hinder the healing journeys of Black women thanks to the lack of mental health resources and systemic racism. By examining Black women's experiences at the intersection of oppression, trauma, culture, and church life, she demonstrates how historical trauma, racist myths, and harmful theological interpretations intensify the unique difficulties they encounter.

Rochelle Johnson is a womanist theologian whose research centers on Black women of faith living with clinical depression and practical approaches to pastoral care. She is also a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice in Chicago. Her primary passions include teaching, parish work, and mental health. Johnson has extensive clinical social work experience in the Chicago area, including work at community mental health centers, churches, hospitals, and public schools. In addition to her theological degrees, she holds a certification from the Center of Religion and Psychotherapy. She is an ordained reverend in the United Church of Christ and holds a PhD from Garrett Theological Seminary's Pastoral Theology, Personality, and Culture program. She serves as the Emotional Well-Being Consultant for Advocate Health, Midwest Region, offering her expertise to clergy and congregations. Johnson lives in Matteson, Illinois.